I got a new 30/30 the other day and I started thinking about what I will use it for. Have any of you ever used a 30/30 for elk in the timber? The 30/30 would not be my elk rifle of choice, but I might want to try it in the dark timber when shots would be close and very quick.

I would use it for exactly what you described. Close quarter combat with a bull in timber.

I have a friend who outfitted in the Bob Marshall for quite a while and she loves her 30/30 for elk. Says if you can't get to within a 100 yards your not much of a hunter anyway. I like my .06 quite a bit, but have left it home the past few times in favor of the slug gun. Of course I had shots a 3 elk last night at ~200 yards and had to pass.

The Hornady website has a lot of photos of people shooting elk with a 30-30 and their LR ammo.

The 30-30 is a fine round if you know its limits. It would be fine for what you describe. You didn't say how soon you plan on using it on elk but I'm sure you'll spend time with it at the range before you take it out after game.

Have fun!

Way underpowered. I wouldn't use a 30/30 for deer nevermind elk.

I know a guy who has killed an elk 6 of the last 7 years with a 30-30 and open sights. Absolutely it is enough gun out to 100 yards. Would I ever use one on elk, probably not, but in the right hands, in close, they are just as dead.

As far as not being enough gun for deer, I would have to stronglydisagree (as would millions upon millions of deer). I once saw my mom kill two whitetail with 1 shot with her open sight 30-30. Aprox 70-80 yards, didn't see the second doe standing behind the first. Dropped the first doe in her tracks, and when we went up to gut her, realized that the bullet had passed through her and killed another doe about 10 yards behind her. Both were dropped in their tracks.

Yeah 30-30 will work fine for that

My grandfather killed a lot of caribou and moose with a 30-30. I shot an elk in his bed with one, at 60 yards. It did the trick. As stated above, stay within the effective range of both the cartridge and the shooter.

I hope all those millions of deer don't come back from the dead when they find out the ole 30-30 is underpowered.